Theme restaurants irk me.
Call me a cynic, but I can’t pretend I’m dining in Paris simply
because someone hangs a lace curtain in the window and paints
the walls to give the impression of nicotine stains. When rumpled
looking moms pushing strollers are outside my window and the
subway is rumbling below me, then sorry, it doesn’t matter how
good the onion soup is, I’m still in Brooklyn.
So I was skeptical when I walked into Park Slope’s Convivium
Osteria. The room looks like a well-appointed stage set for a
scene taking place in a Spanish or Portuguese taverna, or maybe
a trattoria in Rome. Every detail from the painted, ocher-toned
walls to the rough-hewn tables, some communal, screams rustic
Mediterranean.
And frankly, that worried me.
I’ve found that when a room has star billing the food is often
the understudy. But that’s not the case here. At Convivium Osteria
food rules the show. And what food! After a few sips of Rioja
wine and a sampling of the most complex, well-seasoned tapas
I’ve tried, this restaurant won me over. I was in the Mediterranean!
The F train could have stopped at my table and you couldn’t have
convinced me otherwise.
Chef and co-owner Carlo Pulixi and chef Charles Giangarra have
skipped around the Mediterranean combining the flavors of Spain,
Portugal and Italy. They handle seasoning so expertly and with
such daring that even the simplest dish is boldly flavored and
deeply satisfying. So satisfying in fact that once we started
eating, we couldn’t stop.
Michelle Nolan, the manager and co-owner, commented, "You
ladies have a great appetite!" We weren’t the only ones
with oversized appetites. Diners were tucking into plates of
artichokes, a huge, powerfully fragrant Black Angus steak, and
platters of seafood, oblivious to the sweltering heat outside.
Flattery and great bread will always win my heart. The candlelight
overhead was flattering and the bread was served warm from the
oven. But while the accompanying olives, very tiny to big and
meaty, were salty and just briny enough, we missed butter or
a good, fruity olive oil to spread on those delicious slices.
We started our meal with the seafood tapas for two, "tapas
del pescador." Savory and richly flavored, these "little
whims" were the perfect prelude to our entrees. Two of the
six small dishes we tried sent us straight into the stratosphere;
the other four we merely liked – a lot. On the like-a-lot side
was a cold "piquillo" red pepper stuffed with a creamy
crabmeat filling; "rissois" a light, crisp turnover
filled with ground shrimp in a delicate white sauce, and smoked
trout seasoned simply with salt, pepper and olive oil. Very tender
shrimp were served in a paprika-accented garlic sauce that enhanced
their sweetness.
The two dishes that had us swooning were the tuna tartare and
the vinegar preserved anchovies. The tuna, served in small chunks,
had a velvety texture perfectly accented by the crunchy strips
of celery, the tartness of lemon and the heat of red pepper.
If the only anchovies you’ve tasted are those tossed atop a pizza
or criss-crossed over a Caesar salad, then try the anchovies
here. First preserved in vinegar and then soaked in olive oil,
their clean, not too salty, flavor is a revelation.
Besides the tapas, we indulged in an appetizer of braised artichokes,
"carciofi alla romana con mentuccia." Two enormous
artichoke hearts came braised in white wine and fruity olive
oil, and seasoned with garlic and mint. What could be more attractive
than two green artichokes sprinkled with mint sitting on a coarse
brown dish? The chefs have an eye for presenting their dishes
with a simplicity that suits the rustic quality of a tavern.
Diners at the table next to us were moaning as they were eating
fried salt cod fillets, "pataniscas de bacalhau," so
we ordered those, too. Creamy on the inside and crisp on the
outside with a delicate flavor, they were served with a bean
salad that perfectly complemented the quiet nature of the fillets.
This salad of tiny white beans, small cubes of chorizo sausage
and hot red peppers bore no resemblance to the loathsome three-bean
salads served at the picnics of my youth.
If there’s a culinary award akin to the Oscars then chefs Pulixi
and Giandarra deserve to win one for their Sicilian seafood with
couscous, "cuscus alla trapanese." This dish, so enormous
in both scale and taste, could have fed the cast of a movie.
What seems like an entire ocean of shellfish, including a huge
lobster tail and claw, is heaped atop broth-soaked couscous flavored
with coriander seeds and almonds. It’s soft-core porn for seafood
lovers. At $42 for two, the dish might seem pricey, but three
could stuff themselves on the heaping portion. And, after eating
this you’ll feel so well cared for, so nurtured, that a visit
to your therapist will seem superfluous. Think of the money you’ll
save!
Our only disappointment was the roasted baby rack of lamb with
cauliflower and olives "chuletas de corderito con coliflor."
A stiff breadcrumb topping detracted from otherwise perfectly
cooked lamb. The cauliflower was overcooked and overly spicy,
and to my taste the marriage of olives and cauliflower was not
a match made in heaven.
Skip dessert? With a glass of Malvasia Dulce, a light, clean-tasting,
just-sweet-enough dessert wine and cups of really strong espresso,
we shared (our only moment of restraint all evening) grilled
pecorino cheese with eucalyptus honey. Not quite a dessert, and
too sweet for a cheese course, it might disappoint traditional
cake and ice cream lovers. To us, it was perfection. Other offerings
include: flourless chocolate cake, Portuguese flan, espresso
granita, chocolate panna cotta and chocolate covered figs.
There is a large wine cellar with an extensive selection of excellent
wines, sherries and ports. The management has wisely chosen to
include plenty of choices in the $20 to $35 range. Ask the knowledgeable
staff to help you navigate the seven-page list.
You may notice me sitting at a table in the large, outdoor garden
behind the restaurant. I’ll be alone next time, quietly eating
the seafood couscous for two and not caring a bit what you might
think of that.
Convivium Osteria (68 Fifth Ave. between
Bergen Street and St. Marks Place) is open Monday through Saturday
for dinner. On Sunday they serve an early dinner starting at
2 pm. Entrees for one: $13-$22, entrees for two: $42-$48. Cash
only. For more information, call (718) 857-1833.
Brooklyn Restaurants
